Firefighters put out flames that damaged two Halifax homes

No one was injured in a fire that damaged two homes in an Armdale neighbourhood on Thursday afternoon.

Neighbours hugged one another and one woman cried as crews put out hot spots on a fire at 20 Drillio Cres. around midafternoon, assistant fire chief Scott Ramey said in an interview at the scene.

“When we arrived, the flames were through the roof,” he said.

The fire then spread to the house next door, but Ramey said that was put out quickly. He said no one was injured or needed to be rescued.

Ramey said they did not know what caused the fire yet at 3:40 p.m., but he said fire investigators would be coming to the scene.

Alex Grant lives across the street.

He said before the firefighters came, several propane tanks blew up. He was surprised by how fast it happened. He said there was four minutes between when he saw the smoke and when the house was engulfed in flames.

He was impressed by how quickly the firefighters arrived and how well they handled the situation.

“They really did a great job at minimizing the damage,” he said.

He said he was originally worried that his house was on fire, but once he learned it was his neighbours’, he made sure everyone was evacuated and then they locked up the house.

“I’m just super happy no one got hurt,” he said.

Grant plans to have a meeting with his family to talk about their fire plan and check their fire extinguishers.